They are coming from behind. Joe biden holds a stable lead nationwide and in those key battleground states. Its been that way for weeks. The big question for the president and his party, can they shake up the race in these four nights of prime time, cast a new light on trump, raise new doubts about biden . One thing is clear, the president will do it his way, appearing day and night all through the convention. Hes given three speeches already today, the first after the roll call of states in charlotte, officially making him the nominee. Michigan, the great lake state, is going to cast all 73 votes for president donald j. Trump. Floridas 122 delegate votes to the next president of the United States. Thank you. Oklahoma loves you, mr. President i just want to thank everybody for this incredible support. Be very, very careful. This is going to be and i really believe this, this is the most important election in the history of our country. Dont let them take it away from you. Dont let them take it away. Thank you, god bless you all. Thank you. Talking about whats at stake there. Echoes what president obama said last week. I want to bring in mary bruce in washington, d. C. , where a lot of the events are going to be held. And this convention, the republicans hope to draw contrast with the democrats on both substance and stage craft. George, the trump team wants this to look and feel very different from the Democrats Convention. The reality star president wants to put on a show and he is going to play the starring role here, figuring prominently every night. They want this to feel more like a traditional convention and to be more regal and grand. The speakers are intended to look like they are all live. And the tone is supposed to be different, as well. Trump said the Democrats Convention was too dark and downtrodden. These next four days are supposed to be more optimistic and hopeful, but based on what weve seen so far today, there are questions about whether the trump team are going to stick to that plan. The president gave a speech full of grievances and he has been painting a fairly apocalyptic picture on what will happen if hes not reelected. David muir, e ent bringing out hostages who he says he helped take from captivity. To underscore what mary just said, the president has said the democrats held the darkest, angriest, gloomiest convention in american history. We know this is going to be a family affair. At least six members of the trump family will make the case for President Trump this week. Kimberly guilfoyle moments ago, don jr. s girlfriend, saying, america, its all on the line. Dont let the democrats destroy your lives and kill future generations. So, they said there would be a more hopeful tone. The president said that, but its going to be a real test in these days ahead. And were about to hear from the president right now. Lets listen into the virtual floor. Freeing american hostages. We have six incredible people who were held hostage by various countries and im very pleased to let everybody know that we brought back over 50 hostages from 22 different countries. We worked very hard on it, ambassador obrien and others, and i will tell you, we were very proud of the job we did, but id like to ask, maybe pastor brunson, to say a few words, we can go through and just give us a little history of what happened and how is life treating you . I was held in turkey for two years and you took unprecedented steps, actually, to secure my release and your administration really fought for me. And i think if you hadnt done that, i may still be in turkey. 28 years they had you scheduled for a long time. We had to get you back. Yes. And i have to say, to me, president erdogan was very good. And i know they had you scheduled for a long time and you were a very innocent person and he ultimately, after we had a few conversations, he agreed, so, we appreciate that and we appreciate the people of turkey and you still appreciate the people of turkey, i understand. I love the turkish people. Thats great. Its great to have you back, andrew, thank you. Please. Mr. President , thank you for having me. My name is sam goodwin, im from st. Louis, missouri, i was held in syria for 63 days and im going to speak for my fellow former hostages and detainees here im so grateful to be home safely and thank you for the invitation and opportunity to be here. Particularly ambassador obrien was sin credit incredibly supportive of my family. Just really happy to be here. Thank you. We got you back. You got me back, yeah. We got you all back. And we have some more that were working on right now to get back, that we better do. Please, go ahead. My name is michael. Its an honor to be here, honor to meet you in person. Basically what happened with me is, i went traveled over to iran. Turned out there was a major trap and i was apprehended there. I went through a lot in their injustice system, in the iranian justice system. They are a terrorist regime, you know what im talking about, but what you did, sir, you were able to get me out of that prison in record time. It was amazing. Thank you very much. Thank you. The honors all mine. Please. Yeah, my name is josh holt, this is my wife tammy. We were held hostage in venezuela for two years. I know very well. You helped us get out. Senator hatch worked with you on that, as well. And it was a great honor to be able to meet you right when we got back and i remember a lot of people asked me, what was it like meeting President Trump . I was just blown away. Im shaking the hand of the president in the oval office, i dont really remember a lot of it. So, it is nice to meet you again. Its been great to be back helping people through situations that theyve gone through and now we started our family. The great people of utah really wanted me to do something about the two of you and we were able to do it and little bit of a miracle, i think, frankly. It was. That was a very hostile period and we appreciate everybody working so hard with us, but were able to get you both back and are you living in utah now, i hope . Yes, yes, we are. Say hello to the folks in utah. They are great people. Thank you very much. Congratulations. Thank you. Please. I spent unexpected trip there in india. I was not going to india, i was going through india to nepal, where i had been working for the last 18 years but on behalf of my family, myself, thank you President Trump, for getting us out and getting us home. The darkest moment of our whole time together, your letter to my wife, kay and it really gave her the hope and peace and for that time forward, as more people got involved, especially the ambassador there in india, things became more peaceful and the hope was there for the last four months. They planned on keeping me for three to five years. The original charge was three to five years and that was career cleared. Then they came up with new charges, seven years. India responded very well to my request. Appreciate everything yall did. Thank you yall for being with us. We have a few more people we want to get back and well get them back and theyll be back very soon. Thank you very much. Conversation there in the white house with President Trump. Want to bring in Chris Christie to set the stage for the republican convention. This is the first ten minutes or so here in prime time. We had an hour and a half before that. What do you make of what youve seen so far . What is the most important thing the president needs to do this week . The most important thing the president needs to do this week is lay out his agenda for the next four years. And to use that as the contrast point. We were discussing this earlier, rob and i were, about the different ways you can go about this. You can attack someones character in a campaign, you can go after policy in a campaign. You got to make a choice as to what you want to do. And in this case, with two folks 74 years of age and older, you can also question, are they up for the job . And so, i think the president has to, to be successful, go on the policy lane and make that contrast between what the democrats were talking about for months through their primaries and what he wants to do with the country. If he goes onto the type of campaigning he ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016, it will be a loser. Because people do not feel about joe biden the way they felt about Hillary Clinton. On a personal level. Just different. Theyre seen as different. So, i think the attacking in that way will be a failure if he does it. If he attacks on policy issues and towaforwards his agenda, i k he can have a successful week and campaign. If he doesnt, hes got a problem. In the first hour and a half, we certainly saw a sharp contrast being drawn on the issues of policing, the black lives matter protests, law and order and those were harsh. Oh, yeah. I heard mob said many times, i heard marxist said many times, i heard radical said many times and i dont think most america s s feel that way. You think about the Multiracial Movement that was powered by black lives matter, the moms that were protecting people, the white folks out there protecting people, i dont think people characterize this movement that way. And so i think hes talking to a very small group of people who dont relate and unfortunately, i dont think thats a Winning Strategy for him. The democrats got fairly high marks for their Convention Last week, hard to know what the bounce is going to be like, if you can get a bounce in this day and age. What do the republicans need to do . There are two models here. One is the Reagan Clinton model, morning in america, or the bush 43 and obama model, which is contrast. Which is what they did for reelection. I have to be honest. What ive heard cede so far reminds me of the inaugural address of carnage. Hes not picking n ining either the models. Unless they make this a choice, its clear about the differences in policy and direction, this is going to implode on itself. This is not this is the corner of healthy and happy, were in a really dark spot right now and i think the notion that theyre going to offer a more optimistic message has yet to come across at this point and its failing for what it has to do. Sara . Well, were going to heard tonight from tim scott and nikki haley, two bright, rising stars in the Republican Party. I think theyre going to paint a different picture of Donald Trumps presidency, the things that he has done well. I think one of the best moments in this evening so far was a video played earlier about the trump response to covid. The reality is, the country did do a lot. They rallied around ppe, they produced ventilators, weve seen record vaccination. It hasnt been perfect, things have gone wrong, but this is where trump needs to focus. He needs to focus on the things hes done well and talk about what hes going to do over the next four years. Okay. Nikki haley is coming up, shes next, along with donald trump jr. And senator tim kot. Well be right back. So youre a small bor a big one. You were thriving, flourishing, but then. Oh. Ah. Okay. Time to think, plan, pivot. How do you bounce back . You dont, you bounce forward, with powerful connectivity. Serious and reliable internet that lets you go bigger and better, with more sharing, more making. Whoa. More that. More talking. The entire time, you got this okay, less talking and more doing. All driven by the largest gig Speed Network in america. And even if the power goes down, your connection doesnt. But what if no ones in the office . Bring the office to them. But is it secure . Sure its secure. Okay, sounds great. So how do i do this . You dont do this. We do this, together. Bounce forward, with comcast business. The Republican National convention. Here again, george stephanopoulos. Welcome back to our coverage of the first night of the republican convention. Want to bring in our chief White House Correspondent jon karl. Every minute of this convention is planned out. The president and his team have had a tougher time over the last several days with the stories that are coming from outside this convention. Its been a brutal series of stories george. You had steve bannon, the president s former Campaign Chairman and chief strategist in the white house arrested, accused of essentially trying to defraud trump supporters. Youve had the president s own sister, maryanne trump barry, recorded by his niece, talking about how the president is a, essentially a pathological liar and has not done anything to lead the country. If you listen to those extraordinary tapes of the president s elder sister, a judge, a former judge, it sounds like a harsher criticism than anything we heard at the democratic convention. Jon karl, thank you very much. Now, well hear from the former u. N. Ambassador, former governor of South Carolina, nikki haley. Good evening. Im nikki haley, and its great to be back at the Republican National convention. Ill start with a little story. Its about an American Ambassador to the United Nations and its about a speech she gave to this convention. She called for the reelection of the republican president she served and she called out his democratic opponent. A former Vice President from a failed administration. That ambassador said, and i quote, democrats always blame america first. The year was 1984. The president was Ronald Reagan and ambassador jean kirkpatricks words are just as true today. Joe biden and the democrats are still blaming america first. Donald trump has always put america first. And he has earned four more years as president. It was an honor of a lifetime to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. Now, the u. N. Is not for the faint of heart. Its a place where dictators, murderers and thieves denounce america and then put their hands out and demand that we pay their bills. Well, President Trump put an end to all of that. With his leadership, we did what barack obama and joe biden refused to do we stood up for america and we stood against our enemies. Obama and biden let north korea threaten america. President trump rejected that weakness and we passed the toughest sanctions on north korea in history. Obama and biden let iran get away with murder and literally sent them a plane full of cash. President trump did the right thing and ripped up the iran nuclear deal. Obama and biden led the United Nations to denounce our friend and ally, israel. President trump moved our embassy to jerusalem and when the u. N. Tried to condemn us, i was proud to cast the american veto. This president has a record of strength and success. The former Vice President has a record of weakness and failure. Joe biden is good for iran and isis. Great for communist china and hes a god send to everyone who wants america to apologize, abstain and abandon our values. Donald trump takes a different approach. Hes tough on china and he took on isis and won. And he tells the world what it needs to hear. At home, the president is the clear choice on jobs and the economy. Hes moved America Forward while joe biden has held america back. When joe was v. P. , i was governor of the great state of South Carolina. We had a pretty good run. Manufacturers of all kinds flocked to our state from overseas, creating tens of thousands of american jobs. People were referring to South Carolina as the beast of the southeast, which i loved. Everything we did happened inspite of joe biden and his hold boss. We cut taxes, they raised them. We slashed red tape, they piled on more mandates. And when we brought in good paying jobs, biden and obama sued us. I fought back and they gave up. A Biden Harris Administration would be much, much worse. Last time, joes boss was obama. This time, it would be pelosi, sanders and the squad. Their vision for america is socialism and we know that socialism has failed everywhere. They want to tell americans how to live and what to think. They want a government takeover of health care. They want to ban fracking and kill millions of jobs. They want massive tax hikes on working families. Joe biden and the socialist left would be a disaster for our economy. But President Trump is leading a new era of opportunity. Before communist china gave us the coronavirus, we were breaking economic records left and right. The pandemic has set us back, but not for long. President trump brought our economy back before and he will bring it back again. Theres one more important area where our president is right. He knows that Political Correctness and cancel culture are dangerous and just plain wrong. In much of the Democratic Party, its not fashionable to say that america is racist. That is a lie. America is not a racist country. This is personal for me. I am the proud daughter of indian immigrants. They came to america and settled in a small southern town. My father wore a turban. My mother wore a sari. I was a brown girl in a black and white world. We faced discrimination and hardship, but my parents never gave into grievance and hate. My mom built a successful business. My dad taught 30 years at a historically black college. And the people of South Carolina chose me as their first minority and first female governor. America is a story thats a work in progress. Now is the time to build on that progress and make america even freer, fairer and better for everyone. Thats why its so tragic to see so much of the Democratic Party turning a blind eye towards riots and rage. The American People know we can do better. And of course we value and respect every black life. The black cops who have been shot in the line of duty, they matter. The black Small Business owners who have watched their lifes work go up in flames, they matter. The black kids who have been gunned down on the playground, their lives matter, too. And their lives are being ruined and stolen by the violence on our streets. It doesnt have to be like ts. It wasnt like this in South Carolina five years ago. Our state came facetoface with evil. A white supremacist walked into mother emanue mamanuel church d bible study. 12 africanamericans pulled up a chair and prayed with him for an hour. Then he began to shoot. After that horrific tragedy, we didnt turn against each other, we came together, black and white, democrat and republican, together we made the hard choices needed to heal and removed a divisive symbol peacefully and respectfully. What happened then should give us hope now. America isnt perfect, but the principles we hold dear are perfect. If theres one thing ive learned, its that even on our worst day, we are blessed to live in america. Its time to keep that blessing alive for the next generation. This president and this party are committed to that noble task. We seek a nation that rises together, not falls apart in anarchy and anger. We know that the only way to overcome americas challenges is to embrace americas strengths. We are striving to reach a brighter future, where every child goes to a World Class School chosen by their parents. Where every family lives in a Safe Community with good jobs. Where every entrepreneur has the freedom to achieve and inspire. Where every believer can worship without fear and every life is protected. Where every girl and boy, every woman and man of every race and religion has the best shot at the best life. In this election, we must choose the only candidate who has and who will continue delivering on that vision. President trump and Vice President pence have my support and america has our promise. We will build on the progress of our past and unlock the promise of our future. That future starts when the American People reelect president donald trump. Thank you, good night and may god always bless america. Good evening, america, im donald trump jr. Were here tonight to talk about the Great American story. To talk about this country we all love. Pmise and opportunity, of heroes and greatness. Just a few short months ago, we were seeing the American Dream become a reality for more of our citizens than ever before. The greatest prolonged economic expansion in american history. The lowest Unemployment Rate in nearly 50 years. The lowest Unemployment Rates ever for black americans, hispanic americans, women and pretty much every other demographic group. And then, courtesy of the Chinese Communist party, the virus struck. The president quickly took action and shut down travel from china. Joe biden and his democrat allies called my father a racist for doing it. They put Political Correctness ahead of the safety and security of the American People. Fortunately, as the virus began to spread, the president acted quickly and ensured ventilators got to hospitals that needed them most. He delivered ppe to our brave front line workers and he rallied the Mighty American private sector to tackle this new challenge. Theres more work to do, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Job gains are outpacing what the socalled experts expected. But bidens radical left wing policies would stop our economic recovery cold. Hes already talking about shutting the country down again. Its madness. Democrats claim to be for workers, but theyve spent the entire pandemic trying to sneak a tax break into the covid relief bill. Then, they attacked my father for suspending the payroll tax for middle class workers. In fact, if you think about it, joe bidens entire economic platform seems designed to crush the working man and woman. He supported the worst trade deals in the history of the planet. He voted for the nafta nightmare. Down the tubes went our auto industry. He pushed for tpp. Goodbye, manufacturing jobs. Beijing biden is so weak on china that the Intelligence Community recently assessed that the Chinese Communist party favors biden. They know hell weaken us both economically and on a world stage. Biden also wants to bring in more Illegal Immigrants to take jobs from american citizens. His open border policies would drive wages down for americans at a time when low income workers were getting real wage increases for the first time in modern history. Hes pledged to repeal the trump tax cuts, which were the big nest our country. After eight years of obama and bidens slow growth, trumps policies have been like rocket fuel to the economy and especially to the middle class. Biden has promised to take that money back out of your pocket and keep it in the swamp. That makes sense, though, considering joe biden is basically the loch ness monster of the swamp. Hes been lurking around in there for a half century. He sticks his head up every now and then to run for president , then he disappears and doesnt do much in between. If you are looking for hope, look to the man who did what the failed Obama Biden Administration never could do and built the greatest economy our country has ever seen. And President Trump will do it again. We will be stronger than ever, because when we put our mind to it, there is no obstacle that america cant surmount. Except, theres a difference this time. In the past, both parties believed in the goodness of america. We agreed on where we wanted to go. We just disagreed on how to get there. This time, the other party is attacking the very principles on which our nation was founded. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the rule of law. Thomas jefferso fsa, i have sworn upon the altar of job, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. Our founders believed there was nothing more important than protecting our godgiven right to think for ourselves. Now, the left, theyre trying to cancel all of those founders. They dont seem to understand this important principle. In order to improve in the future, we must learn from our past, not erase it. So, were not going to tear down monuments and forget the people who built our great nation, instead, we will learn from our past so we dont repeat any mistakes. And we will work tirelessly to improve the lives of all americans. Joe biden and the radical left are now coming for our freedom of speech. They want to bully us into submission. If they get their way, it will no longer be the silent majority. It will be the silenced majority. This has to stop. Freedom essn used to be a liberal value. At least before the radical left took over. Now the Republican Party is the home of free speech. The place where anyone from any background can speak their mind and may the best ideas win. People of faith are under att k attack. Youre not allowed to go to church. But mass chaos in the streets gets a pass. Its almost like this election is shaping up to be church, work and school versus rioting, looting and vandalism. Or, in the words of biden and the democrats, peaceful protesting. Anarchists have been flooding our streets and democrat mayors are ordering the police to stand down. Small businesses across america, many of them minority owned, are being torched by mobs. The democrat mayors pretend its not happening. They actually called it a summer of love. And that brings me to another important principle. Every american must be free to live without fear of violence in your country, in your communities and in your homes. All men and women are created equal and must be treated equally under the law. Thats why we must put an end to racism and we must ensure that any Police Officer who abuses their powers is held accountable. What happened to george floyd is a disgrace and if you know a Police Officer, you know they agree with that, too. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that our police are american heroes. They deserve our deepest appreciation. Because no matter what the democrats say, you and i both know, when we dial 911, we dont want it going to voicemail. So, defunding the police is not an option. Everything starts with safety and security. You cant have anything else without it. You cant focus on building a Better Future for your children without the peace of mind that they can study safely in their classrooms. Play safely in their neighborhoods and sleep safely in their beds. But safety is only the beginning. Trumps america is a land of opportunity, a place of promise. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that could afford the best schools and the finest universities. But a great education can not be the exclusive right of the rich and powerful. It must be accessible to all. And thats why my dad is pro school choice. Thats why hes called Education Access the civil rights issue not just of our time but of all time. It is unacceptable that too many africanamerican and hispanicamerican children are stuck in bad schools just because of their zip code. Donald trump will not stand for it. If democrats really wanted to help minorities and underserved communities, instead of bowing to big money union bosses, theyd let parents choose what school is best for their kids. Theyd limit immigration to protect american workers. Theyd support the police who protect our neighborhoods. Theyd learn how to negotiate trade deals that pe americas interest for a change. Theyd end the endless wars and quit sending our young people to solve problems in foreign lands. Theyd cut taxes for families and workers. Theyd create opportunity zones that drive investment into inner cities. In other words, if democrats cared for the forgotten men and women of our country, theyd do exactly what President Trump is doing. America is the greatest country on earth, but my fathers entire world view revolves around the idea that we can always do even better. Imagine the life you want to have. One with a great job, a beautiful home, a perfect family. You can have it. Imagine the country you want to live in. One with true, equal opportunity. Where hard work pays off and justice is served with compassion and without parse yallty. You can have it. Imagine a world where the evils of communism and radical islamic terrorism is not celen. You can have it. That is the life, the world that donald trump and the Republican Party are after, and, yes, you can have it. Because unlike joe biden and the radical left democrats, our party is open to everyone. It starts by rejecting radicals who want to drag us into the dark and embracing the man who represents a bright and beautiful future for all. It starts by reelecting donald trump, president of the United States. Thank you and god bless america. Donald trump jr. Speaking for his father right there. Also taking on attack dog on behalf of his father. I want to bring in cecilia vega. Is the biden team choosing to respond to what was so far the fiercest attack of this convention . Well, not yet. Im waiting to hear back right now, as we speak, george, but were seeing the party in general responding in pretty quick real time right there in washington around the corner from the mellon auditorium where the republicans are holding this socalled convention tonight. You can see that image that theyre projecting on a nearby building. Its calling into question the number of covid deaths and covid cases under President Trump, and thats the same sentiment that were seeing from joe bidens twitter account just a few minutes ago, calling out the president for these corona cases. But we are seeing a different tact being taken by the biden camp right now. Much different than what we saw from President Trump in compar comparison to last week. There were no inperson events today. Much more traditional approach. They are letting the republicans have their moment. At least right now. Thats what were seeing. Perhaps the most significant thing theyve done, george, is release this list of two dozen or so names, former gop members of congress, gop members, former members of congress who are now endorsing joe biden for president. Among them, the leader of them, arizona senator jeff flake, who really came out swinging today and said that joe biden would be a better conservative than donald trump iflected in this election. George . Cecilia, thank you very much its more than just fast. It keeps all your devices running smoothly. With builtin security that protects your kids. No matter what theyre up to. It protects your info. And gives you 24 7 peace of mind. That if its connected, its protected. Even that that petcamera thingy. [ whines ] can your internet do that . Xfinity xfi can because its. Simple, easy, awesome. [ barking ] and we are back. Covering the first night of the Republican National convention. Linsey davis, so far tonight, weve heard about violence in the streets, black lives matter, the police. No talk about whats roiling the streets of kenosha, wisconsin, right now. Im just hung up a little bit about nikkei haley, a comment she made, america is not a racist country. A lot of black people, black and brown people would take humbraum with. Weir not he were not hearing about the protests in wisconsin, where the 29yearold, jacob blake was shot in the back by police, and yet, while were not hearing about that, we are hearing from the couple in st. Louis that were brandishing their arms against black lives matter protesters. If you look at the numbers, about 3 of americans, black americans, say that they think that President Trump is doing a good job with reducing discrimination of blacks in the criminal justice system. And here comes senator tim scott right now. Im senator tim scott from the great state of South Carolina. To all of you tuning in and participating in the political process, god bless you. This isnt how i pictured tonight. But our country is experiencing something none of us envisioned. From a Global Pandemic to the deaths of george floyd and breonna taylor, 2020 has tested our nation in ways we havent seen for decades. But regardless of the challenges presented to us, every four years, americans come together to vote. To share stories about what makes our nation strong and the lessons we have learned that can strengthen it for further generations. Because while this election is between donald trump and joe biden, it is not solely about donald trump and joe biden. Its about the promise of america. Its about you and me. Our challenges and heartbreaks, hopes and dreams. Its about how we respond when tackling Critical Issues like police reform. When democrats called our work a token effort and walked out of the room during negotiations, because they wanted the issue more than they wanted a solution. Do we want a society that breeds success or a culture that cancels everything it even slightly disagrees with . I know where i stand, because, you see, i am living my mothers American Dream. My parents divorced when i was 7 years old. And we moved in with my grandparents into a twobedroom home, with me, my mom and brother, sharing a room and one bed. My mom worked 16 hours a day to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. She knew that if we could find the opportunity, bigger things would come. I thought i had to use football to succeed in life and my focus on academics faded away. My freshman year, i failed out. I failed four subjects. Spanish, english, world geography and even civics. Trust me, though. After seven years in the senate, i know im not the only one in congress who failed civics. But even while i was failing the ninth grade, my mother always said to me, timmy, if you would just shoot for the moon, even if you miss, youll be among the stars. She never lost faith in me even when i lost faith in myself. Because of her encouragement, i went to Summer School and caught up. The next year, i met my mentor, a chickfila operator. He saw something in me that i could not see in myself and started teaching me valuable life lessons. Like having a job would be a good thing, but creating jobs would be even better. But having an income could change my lifestyle, but creating a profit could change my community. He planted the seeds of what would become opportunity zones. This initiative that the president and i worked together on is now bringing more than 75 billion of investment into communities. I started putting the pieces of my life back together. I realized a quality education is the closest thing to magic in america. Thats why i fight to this day for school choice. To make sure every child in every neighborhood has a quality education. I dont care if its a public, private, charter, virtual or a homeschool. When a parent has a choice, their kid has a better chance. And the president has fought alongside me on that. Later in life, i started my own Small Business. Thats why i know it is critical for us to have a tax code that encourages growth. We actually saw revenues to the treasury increase after we lowered taxes in 2017. Rest assured, the democrats do not want you to know that. After starting my Small Business and spending some time in local government, i decided to run for congress in 2010. The district is based in charleston, South Carolina, where the civil war started. Against a son of our legendary senator, strom thurmond. You may be asking yourself, how does a poor black kid from a single parent household run and win in a race crowded with republicans against a thurmond . Because of the evolution of the southern heart. In an overwhelmingly white district, the voters judged me not on the color of my skin, but on the content of my character. We live in a world that only wants you to believe in the bad news. Racially, economically and cultu culturally polarizing news. The truth is, our nations arc always bends back towards fairness. We are plot fully where we want to be, but i thank god almighty, we are not where we used to be. We are always striving to be better. When we stumble, and we will, we pick ourselves back up and try again. We dont give into cancel culture or the radical and fact chully baseless belief that things are worse today than in the 1860s or the 1960s. We have work to do. But i believe in the goodness of america. The promise that all men and all women are created equal. And if youre watching tonight, im betting you do, too. Over the past four years, we have made tremendous progress towards that promise. President trump built the most inclusive economy ever. 7 million jobs created precovid19 and twothirds of them went to women, africanamericans and hispanics. The first new major effort to tackle poverty in a generation, opportunity zones. We put hardearned tax dollars back in peoples pockets by cutting their taxes, especially for single parent households like the one i grew up in, cutting single mothers taxes 70 on average. President trump supported these tax cuts for those single moms and other working families and signed these policies into law and our nation is better off for it. So, im going to ask you, the American People, not to simply look at what the candidates say, but to look back at what theyve done. This election is about your future and it is critical to paint a full picture of the records of donald trump and joe biden. Joe biden said if a black man didnt vote for him, he wasnt truly black. Joe biden said black people are a monolithic community. It was joe biden who said poor kids can be just as smart as white kids. And while his words are one thing, his actions take it to a whole new level. In 1994, biden led the charge on a crime bill that put millions of black americans behind bars. President trumps criminal Justice Reform law fixed many of the disparities biden created and made our system more fair and just for all americans. Joe biden also failed our nations historically black colleges and universities, heeching blame on them as they fought to ensure our young folks had access to higher education. Once again, to clean up joe bidens mess, President Trump signed into law historically high funding for hbcus as well as a bill to give them permanent funding for the first time ever. And now joe biden wants to come for your pocketbooks. Unless, of course, youre a blue state millionaire. Im serious. Thats one of their solutions for the pandemic. They want to take more money from your pocket and give it to manhattan elites and hollywood moguls so they get a tax break. Republicans, however, passed President Trumps once in a generation tax reform bill that lowered taxes for single moms, working families and those in need. So, when it comes to what joe biden says hell do, look at his actions. Look at his policies. Look at what he already did and what he didnt do while hes been in washington for 47 years. Ladies and gentlemen, people dont always see those failures because they think were having a policy debate on two sides of an issue. That is not what is happening. Our side is working on policy while joe bidens radical democrats are trying to permanently transform what it means to be an american. Make no mistake, joe biden and Kamala Harris want a cultural revolution, a fundamentally different america. If we let them, they will turn our country into a socialist e utopia and history has taught us that path only leads to pain and misery, especially for hard working people hoping to rise. Instead, we must focus on the promise of the american yojourn. I know that journey well. My grandfathers 99th birthday would have been tomorrow. Growing up, he had the cross the street if a white person was coming. He suffered the indig tnity of being forced out of school as a third grader to pick cotton and he never learned to read or write. Yet, he lived long enough to see his grandson become the first africanamerican to be elected to both the United States house and the United States senate in the history of this country. Our family went from cotton to congress in one lifetime. And thats why i believe the next American Century can be better than the last. There are millions of families just like mine all across this nation full of potential seeking to live the American Dream. And im here tonight to tell you that supporting the republican ticket gives you the best chance of making that dream a reality. God bless you and father, please continue blessing the United States of america. God bless. No crowd for tim scott, but that was a classic keynote speech here at this republican convention. He talked about believing in the goodness of america. He did take some shots at joe biden, no question about that, but in some ways, the most personal and the most optimistic speech so far of the night. Byron pitts. George, thats right. It was personal and positive. Hes an evangelical christian, he gave a nod to the lord. In Donald TrumpsRepublican Party, tim scott is their Kamala Harris. He has comparable historic heft. He is the only black republican senator in the u. S. Senate. Hes the first black senator from the south since reconstruction. And hes talked about some of the things that joe biden has said, senator scott was one of the people, republicans who quickly came out and criticized President Trump after his comments about charlottesville, when the president posted that white power statement, scott also criticized him. So, he makes the case for donald trump and as you said, george, he did it in a kind way, that there is room in Donald TrumpsRepublican Party for brown and black people. Well see how effective it is. He talked about opportunities and employment, but george, when he said that, i thought about breonna taylor. She had a good job. But that didnt keep her didnt keep her alive. I think its a compelling argument, its a positive spin. But i think there are some questions as to how far it will resonate in brown and black communities. Thats what were going to be watching in the coming days. Linsey davis, he did take some shots at joe biden, including the comments that joe biden made, paraphrasing them, that have caused consternation in the black community. First, i want to say he had a powerful line when he talked about his family went from cotton to congress in one lifetime. He laid out what he described as joe bidens failures. Very swiftly, joe biden said if a black man for him, he wasnt truly black. He went on and on and really made a compelling case. President trump is, after all, though, a president who has said that hes done more from the black community than anyone and more from the black community than any other president. A statement that has been debunked. Right now, donald trump is getting about 8 of the black vote. Joe biden about 87 . A lot of talk about the economy, as well, david muir, including in donald trump jr. s speech, where he paraphrased a line from your interview with joe biden the other day, talking about shutting down the economy. Which just shows how closely theyre watching everything joe biden says. He hasnt traveled much from his home and when he does and sits down for an interview, ours was the first, the question, though, for joe biden, when i asked him was, if elected and the scientists tell you, should covid combine with the flu, which they said is a real possibility, would you shut the country down again and he said, if the scientists told me i had to, i would, but he did go on to say that was the fundamental flaw, he believes, in the Trump Administrations response to this pandemic, is that they didnt take action with masks and in shutting down the country quickly enough. He was making the point that its his belief the country and the economy would be doing much better by now already had the Trump Administration been tougher. Buff this but this is the challenge for the Trump Administration. We have 175,000 american lives lost now. 30 million americans on unemployment. Don jr. Acknowledged we still have work to do, but that was it, that was the line before he pivoted and turned to joe biden and those words from thatconocom the crisis, as well. Rahmemanuel, the speeches weve heard all evening, before the pandemic, it was the greatest economy ever in recent history. A lot of democrats dispute that. Rendezvous with record. Bill clinton created 23 million jobs. Record amount of people lifted out of poverty. Pure facts, people know that. I do want to say one other thing about senator scotts speech. It stands out as a powerful speech because it was expansive and inclusive in its nature. Everything prior to that was base all the time, 24 hours. And that was a very good speech. He delivered a good speech that was expansive and inclusive. And if they stay to that message, which hasnt happened to date, with the other speakers, youre going to have a powerful piece. And it was beyond the base. That was the first time. And the contrast was so stark, it made a good speech. Sara, they gave him that prime slot. It was a good thing. Im glad they did it. We need to see more out of him at this convention. And more of that message at this convention. You know, i think one of the challenges ive had with this evening is the focus on law enforcement. I think its right to put a nod to law enforcement, i think its right to call out the lunacy, in my mind, of defunding the police, but there was a lot of it. And im not certain thats where america is right now. Yes, americans want a Strong Police force in their local community. They want a fair police force. They want better race relations. I dont think its the issue theyre most focused on. Theyre focused on covid19, pocketbook issues and we need to do better on those issues in the coming nights. And Chris Christie, does this, and were seeing a lot of this in the speeches, as well, does this attacking joe biden as basically a prisoner of socialism, work against joe biden. Hes not bernie sanders. It could. And the reason it could, george, is because you can see whats the evolution of joe biden over the course of the primary campaign. And i bring up the again the raising of the hands on the decriminalizing of the border. His move towards green new deal. His move towards a lot of the issues. But he defeated the socialists in the primaries. George, you say defeated, some might say capitulated. I mean, you know, in a large measure, hes done that, and i think say one other t hing about tim scott tonight, he did give a very good speech tonight. Hes a futurer ta shi tofs you party. There are only two black democrats in the senate, cory booker and Kamala Harris. 100 better. Congratulations. Just want to do the math for you. Millan thats going to be it tonight. 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Ohh oh come on, slowpoke you suck at this [ sighs ] ah, ah [ tweet tweet ] [ laughter ] captions by vitac [ cheers and applause ] [ squeak ] tessitore tonight, its all on the line as new competitors battle it out